UNSC destroyer

Destroyer
A Halberd-class destroyer
Production information
Class:	Destroyer
Role:	Fleet escort, assault
Technical specifications
Length:	Varies by class Standard model 485 meters (1,590 ft)
Engine(s):	Fusion drive
Slipspace drive:	Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine
Hull:	1.5 - 2 meters titanium-A battle plate
Armament:	Magnetic Accelerator Cannons (2) Shiva-class nuclear missiles (3) Archer missile pods (26) Twin-linked 50mm point-defense autocannons (8×)
Complement:	Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles D77 Pelicans
Chronological and affiliation
Era:	Insurrection Human-Covenant War Post-War Era
Affiliation:	Colonial Military Authority (defunct) UNSC Navy

Destroyer is a warship classification in the UNSC Navy, as well as the now-defunct Colonial Military Authority. Its hull classification symbol is DD. Fast, maneuverable, and designed for long-term endurance, destroyers are intended to escort larger vessels such as cruisers and carriers.

Classes

The Navy has made use of several destroyer classes which vary widely in design.

Class	Image	Details
Halberd class		The Halberd class in service as early as 2508 and continued to serve throughout the Human-Covenant War. One of the most notable Halberd-class destroyers was the UNSC Iroquois, captained by Commander Jacob Keyes, which performed the daring Keyes Loop during the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV. This destroyer type continues to be in service with the Navy by 2557.
Unidentified light destroyer class		The light destroyer was in service prior to the Insurrection, and predated the introduction of the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. Three such vessels famously took part in the Callisto Incident.
Able-class heavy destroyer		The Able class has been in service with the Navy since 2490. In 2497, the heavy destroyer UNSC Gorgon was the first ship of its class to be armed with a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, for which the ship carried only three slugs. Then-Captain Preston Cole served on this ship during the Insurrection. The Gorgon was later assigned to Admiral Cole's fleet during the Human-Covenant War.
Hillsborough class		Similar in design to a cruiser, the CMA destroyer Heracles belonged to the Hillsborough class of destroyer. The Heracles was the command ship of Battle Group 4 following the disastrous first contact with the Covenant.
Diligence class		The Diligence-class is an older class of destroyer formerly operated for peacekeeping purposes by the Colonial Military Authority. The class has a wide beam and is almost equally tall. Numerous large antennae are mounted across the hull. By the start of the Covenant War, the Diligence-class had been retired for decades, though some ships were brought back into service and retrofitted for used in the war. The only known vessel of this class, the UNSC Kronstadt, deployed an ODST-Spartan team during a raid on Heian at some point between 2540 and 2551.

Known destroyers

Name	Earliest sighting	Engagements	Status	Notable information
UNSC Agincourt	2543	Battle of Psi Serpentis	Destroyed	Sacrificed to protect Battle Group India
UNSC Armageddon's Edge	2535			Refitted in 2535 after a previous engagement with the Covenant
UNSC Brasidas	October 20, 2552	Battle of Earth Onyx Conflict	Destroyed along with the rest of Admiral Patterson's battle group
UNSC Buenos Aires	March 2, 2494	Callisto Incident	Destroyed by booby-trapped nuclear bomb
UNSC Burden of Proof	July 2551	Operation: METEORITE		Destroyed the Triumph of Tolerance over Promise
UNSC Calcutta	2530		Engines salvaged for UNSC Spirit of Fire
UNSC Clearidas	2535	Battle of Hat Yai Battle of Skopje
UNSC Do You Feel Lucky?	2535	Battle of Charybdis IX	Destroyed	Boarded by Covenant forces
UNSC Glasgow Kiss	November 3, 2552	Battle of Earth Onyx Conflict	Destroyed	Sacrificed to protect Patterson's battle group
UNSC Gorgon	2502	Skirmish at Capella
UNSC The Heart of Midlothian	Bet. 2535-2552	Algolis Invasion	Self-destructed	Boarded by Covenant forces
CMA Heracles	2525	First Battle of Harvest	Investigated colony world Harvest with Battle Group 4
UNSC Herodotus	July 2552